The month of September in Pennsylvania racing began with a visit by Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia, who dominated the newly created Princess of Sylmar Stakes at Parx. Later this month, the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby is expected to get a purse hike as it draws Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator.

On September 10, Zayat Stables was named owner of the year in 2015 by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association at its annual awards dinner. Held at Stonestreet Farm in Lexington, Ky., the dinner honored the previously announced state and regional award winners, as well as honoring Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Godolphin as national breeder of the year and Richard and Karen Papiese’s Midwest Thoroughbreds as national small breeder of the year.

Although California Chrome made it look easy, Del Mar’s Grade 1 Pacific Classic drew perhaps the most competitive field of any race in the world so far this year. The 2016 European equivalent in degree of difficulty to date occurred last Saturday at Leopardstown, where no less than eight Group 1 winners broke from the starting gate for the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.

Spendthrift Farm will put forth another incentive for Thoroughbred breeders by sponsoring a stakes race for the progeny of its stallions during the fall meet at Churchill Downs. 

The $300,000 Spendthrift Stallion Stakes, open to 2-year-olds of both sexes by current and past Spendthrift stallions nationwide, will be held Oct. 30 at Churchill. The seven-furlong event falls on the track's first of two "Stars of Tomorrow" programs, focusing on 2-year-old racing, and will be co-featured with a pair of $70,000 stakes, the Street Sense and the Rags to Riches. 

Grade 2 winner Kantharos will relocate to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, Ky., for the 2017 breeding season.

The 8-year-old son of Lion Heart previously stood at Ocala Stud in Ocala, Fla., where he was advertised in 2016 for $5,000. He debuted at stud in 2011 at Vinery Florida, then moved to Ocala Stud for the 2013 season.

The Indiana Breeders Alliance will host its inaugural Indiana Breeders Seminar on Saturday, Nov. 19, to educate breeders in the region and help them book mares to stallions in and out of the state.

The expo-style event will take place at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville. Attendance to the seminar is free, while admission to the dinner afterward will be paid admission for non-members.

Stallion farms will have booths set up to discuss their rosters with breeders and sign breeding contracts.

Grade 1 winner Offlee Wild is reported to have died at Celikoglu Stud Farm in Turkey from a massive heart attack.

The 16-year-old son of Wild Again moved to Turkey for the 2015 breeding season after previously standing at Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania and beginning his stud career at Darley in Lexington, Ky.

A number of freshman sires had notable milestones Labor Day weekends, as stakes opportunities become more readily available – and extremely importantly for their sire’s credentials.

During the past weekend, Union Rags, Maclean’s Music, Tapizar, and Dominus all were represented by their initial stakes winners, and victories in these rich races moved all four into the top five freshman sires in North America.

Charlie Boden, who served as racing manager and stallion season sales director for Calumet Farm, has left the operation to re-establish his bloodstock consultancy, Charles H. Boden Thoroughbreds, Inc.

Boden worked at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky. for roughly a year, after a decade as head of sales at Darley America, also in Lexington. While at Darley, Boden oversaw the careers of stallions including Bernardini, Medaglia d’Oro, and Street Cry, and was key in bring stallions such as Street Sense and Hard Spun to the farm.